1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saddle-type vehicle including a front-end mounted radiator and a front-end mounted controller disposed proximate the radiator. More particularly, the invention relates to a saddle-type vehicle of the type described, including a heat shield for placement above a radiator disposed forward of a steering shaft that steers a front wheel, wherein the heat shield is situated between the radiator and the electronic controller, wherein the heat shield isolates the controller from direct exposure to heat emitted from the radiator.
2. Background Art
A known arrangement for a saddle-type vehicle (in the depicted embodiment, an all-terrain vehicle or ATV), which is capable of running on rough terrain or in an off-road environment, is provided with a radiator disposed at a front end of the vehicle, so that an airflow produced when the vehicle is running can be used to cool fluid passing through the radiator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
When an electronic control unit (ECU) for performing, for example, a fuel injection (FI) control is to be mounted, a known saddle-type vehicle has the ECU disposed at a rear part of the vehicle.
[Patent Document 1]—Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. Sho 63-13875
However, when the ECU is to be disposed at the front of the vehicle, arrangements should be made to ensure that the ECU is protected from the thermal effect caused by heat generated by the radiator. The ECU, which also generates heat itself, should also be efficiently cooled. Having the ECU disposed on a vehicle body cover may protect the ECU from such a thermal effect. Such an arrangement, however, requires that a significant change be made in the vehicle body cover, and also requires installation of a lid for covering the ECU while taking necessary steps to ensure proper cooling of the ECU. As such, this type of arrangement leads to a complicated structure.